Lawrence Qualifies, Goes After National Title

EUGENE, ORE. -- Durham native Desmond Lawrence qualified for the NCAA 100 meter national championship final on Wednesday by running a personal-best 10.12 in the semifinal to finish tied for third.

By earning a spot in the finals, Lawrence has earned first-team All-American honors. He is the first Aggie to earn first-team All-American honors in the 100 meters.

“We have a motto on this team,” said Duane Ross, A&T’s director of track and field programs. “It’s either feast or famine. After that we’ll take whatever we get. But at this point, it’s all or nothing. We’re going out here to try to win it.”

Lawrence will compete for a national championship in the 100 Friday night at 8. If he wins, Lawrence will become the Aggies' first-ever national champion. Lawrence finished third behind in his heat behind Baylor's Trayvon Bromwell (9.92) and USC's Aaron Brown (10.10).

“My preparation for the race was good, so I felt good coming into the race” said Lawrence. “The competition here helps me a lot. Once you get out into your drive phase, the guys to each side of you are going to push you to run faster. It gets pretty intense pretty fast.”

Lawrence led the race for the first 60 meters before Bromwell made his move into the lead. Ross said Lawrence showed his majority by putting together an excellent strategy for trying to win the race.

“He needs to stand taller, stay in his lane like he did today and just compete for a title,” said Ross about winning on Friday. “When you are at regionals and nationals, all you do is compete because the competition is so good.”